An interview with photoED Magazine
Karene-Isabelle Jean-Baptiste is a Montreal-based photographer interested in capturing elusive moments of magic.
She was selected as a Woman of the Year 2020 by Best Health Magazine for her photo project on Black women in healthcare. In 2021 she was awarded a Photojournalism Diversity Grant by La Presse, and in 2022 she received a Black Women Photographers Nikon USA award.
photoED: Your profession until fairly recently was engineering. How and why did you decide to transition into full-time photography?
Karene-Isabelle:
At times, there is a synchronicity to things that we are not fully aware of. I had known myself to be unhappy as an industrial engineer for a certain time and the thought of doing that work day in and day out until I could finally retire was draining me mentally. In early 2020 I decided that I should take a chance on myself and on this career and pursue photography full time. When the pandemic exploded that year, it suddenly felt urgent for me to create work that would speak to the world as it was unfolding itself around me. That sense of urgency and my need to document this exceptional time led me to create my series Black Women in the Time of the Pandemic. It was this project that kick-started further opportunities and made it possible for me to become a full-time photographer.
photoED: Your work appears effortless in its simple beauty and intoxicating use of colour. What would you like viewers to know and understand about all the work that goes on to craft an image behind the scenes?
Karene-Isabelle:
My work is very much inspired by painting and the natural world. I’ve always been fascinated by the power of colour and its ability to make us feel so deeply. I want my work to reflect that. I’ll often start with a specific colour in mind and work to add it into my palette. I often enjoy consulting with a friend who has the most amazing eye for design and we work unbelievably well together. We bounce ideas off of each other and somehow always seem to meet in exactly the right place creatively.
photoED: What do you love most about creating stories through photography?
Karene-Isabelle:
I am an avid reader and have always been awed by writers’ abilities to create worlds a reader can fully immerse themselves in. I share that same desire to create a world all my own. Photography affords me that opportunity and I am thankful for it. I love leading people into a story, an idea, or a community they may have never thought of but which they have now gained an entry into through the images I have crafted.
photoED: Whose work has influenced yours?
Karene-Isabelle:
I have been influenced by many but there are three standouts for me. The first is certainly Gordon Parks, whom I’ve always seen as a Renaissance man. I love his use of colour, the variety of his projects (fashion, film, photojournalism), and his distinct point of view. I love the work of Yousuf Karsh. The portraits he created are iconic and, in many cases, the definitive images by which his subjects are known. I go back to his work often when I look to create my own portraits. Lastly, I am a real fan of Malick Sidibé. I remember stumbling onto his iconic Nuit de Noël in a magazine one day and I immediately cut it out. That led me to researching his work and discovering a freedom, simplicity, and honesty that influences me to this day.
photoED: What makes a good photograph?
Karene-Isabelle:
A good photo is arresting. It takes us to a place that feels familiar yet unexpected. It forces us to linger, to wonder, to feel. It pulls us in, despite ourselves.
photoED: How has working in photography influenced you personally?
Karene-Isabelle:
My work in photography has made me much more determined and more willing to take risks. Being a photographer involves a lot of pitching projects, submitting work for judgment, and approaching strangers. It typically involves a lot of rejection and that has led me to understand and accept that the word “no” is part of the world I evolve in. It is not an indication of the value of my work or of myself as a person. In a way, photography has taught me to do things while scared. This has helped me in other areas outside of my work as well.
photoED: What has been your favourite or most personally impactful project or adventure?
Karene-Isabelle:
My work on Black women in healthcare is my favourite and most impactful project without a doubt. The reaction of the subjects themselves, of other women who also work in the medical field, and of the general public was overwhelmingly positive. I wanted to place Black women in the context of the pandemic and show how they contributed to Canadian society during what was inarguably a very difficult time. I wanted them to be seen. It also felt important to break with the myth of the powerful Black woman. I wanted the women to be seen as strong, yes, but also as vulnerable and scared. It felt important to show their humanity and give them a voice which they had felt deprived of. So many reached out to say that this project made them finally feel seen.
photoED: What does your dream project entail? Where do you hope photography will take you in the future?
Karene-Isabelle:
My dream project entails a look into the Montreal borough in which I live: Montréal-Nord. I want to make work to counter the negative stereotypes that exist about the area and show what it’s really like to live here and show the beauty that exists within. It’s a working class neighborhood and people work hard but its difficult reputation is undeserved. I would fashion that work in the same vein as what was done by Jamel Shabazz in the eighties in New York: raw, honest, and hopeful. My hope for my photography is that it brings joy and love to my subjects. I would also love to have my work collected by galleries someday for posterity. I would love to say that I came, I revealed, and I changed some minds.
GEAR UP
What camera and equipment do you use? What’s your favourite lens? Tell us about your experience using Tamron lenses?
Karene-Isabelle:
I mostly use my Canon 5D Mark II. It’s an oldie but a goodie. I bought it many years ago and it is definitely a workhorse. While I love a fixed lens, I was blown away by and fell in love with the 70-120mm Tamron zoom lens.
Its depth of field is unmatched. It is sharp, fast, and light to carry. The focus is also soooo smooth.
I’d never really worked with a zoom lens for fear of losing out on some of the light, but this lens was definitely a game changer for me and it certainly made me rethink my position. I am not a technical photographer and surely it has many features to endear it to other users, but I just know that I love taking pictures with it!
See more of Karene-Isabelle Jean-Baptiste's work - HERE.
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